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If you are an undergraduate student who is interested in a career in medicine, it is never too early to begin working toward that goal. Here are some pathway programs available for individuals interested pursuing in a career in the medical or health fields.

FastStart

FastStart is an intensive five-week program for incoming UCR freshmen who aspire to medical and other science-based careers. The goal of the program is to increase the number of disadvantaged students who pursue such careers and to provide the academic and social support needed to help students persist and succeed in their higher education goals. It helps prepare students with the background and skills necessary to get off to a strong start in their college education by providing instruction in math, biology, and chemistry.

Workshops covering study skills, campus resources, ethics, and other enrichment opportunities are part of each summer session of FastStart. Perhaps most importantly, FastStart students receive critical mentoring from faculty, staff and students committed to providing academic and adjustment guidance and support.

Future Physician Leaders

Future Physician Leaders (FPL) is a mentorship program for pre-medical students that offers a variety of leadership skill-building experiences and projects. Its mission is to develop more “home grown,” high- quality physician leaders who serve the community with social responsibility in order to achieve optimal community health, wellness, and healthcare access for all residents in the Coachella Valley and in the Riverside/San Bernardino region.

The Future Physician Leaders Program has three components:

Lectures, workshops and group discussions involving students with physicians, nurses and other health care leaders

Community service and leadership, which actively engages students in leadership roles to improve health care access and community health

Summer Shadowing Program, a six-week program in which selected students shadow physicians in primary care offices and emergency departments, among other health care settings.

Health Professions Advising Center

The Health Professions Advising Center is a resource available to all UCR undergraduate students and alumni interested in careers in the health professions, including medicine. Professional staff and peer mentors are available to guide students in planning pre-health professions course work, gaining health- related experiences, completing service work and can assist with preparing to apply for admission to graduate and professional programs.

The Health Professions Advising Center offers students:

Personalized advising

Opportunities to participate in workshops on careers in various health fields, the application process and other topics

Health Coach Program

The Health Coach program is a community-based collaborative that aims to reduce the number of patients with uncontrolled chronic conditions by improving their awareness and use of resources within their primary care clinic and communities.

Our health coaches are pre-medical and pre-health students currently enrolled as juniors and seniors at an undergraduate institution, or are recent graduates.

Through weekly follow ups and continuous communication with their patients’ health care team, health coaches help patients build progressive goals, become true advocates for their patients, and establish a rapport that allows them to identify patient’s existing barriers to healthier lifestyle habits.

The application will open in March 2018 and will close on May 2, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. Notification will be on a rolling basis, and the interview committee will notify selected finalists between April 18 to May 8, 2018.

Health Science Partnerships

The Health Sciences Partnership for Disadvantaged Student Development (HSP) is collaboration between the University of California, Riverside and area high schools. The program received its initial funding through the National School-to-Career Program and continues with departmental support from UCR’s Division of Biomedical Sciences. UCR science majors serve as mentors to high school students in an effort to enhance the pathway for students who seek and are prepared for medical careers.

Medical Leaders of Tomorrow

Medical Leaders of Tomorrow (MLT) is a free, one-week residential summer program for 40 students who have just completed the ninth grade from the Inland Southern California region.

MLT provides students with early exposure to health careers and tools to successfully achieve their educational and career goals. Students will hear presentations on science and health care topics, build study skills through workshops, participate in leadership and team building activities, take laboratory and clinic tours, and learn about college admissions.

MLT is part of the "Imagining Your Future in Medicine" pipeline programs at the UCR School of Medicine and supported by a grant from Kaiser Permanente.

Medical Scholars Program

The Medical Scholars Program (MSP) is a community of undergraduate students preparing for health professions and biomedical research careers. Medical Scholars distinguish themselves through their leadership and service to underserved and diverse communities. MSP primarily supports students who are first generation to college and/or socioeconomically disadvantaged who demonstrate a commitment to helping underserved communities. Once admitted, MPS students participate in the program throughout their undergraduate career.

All UCR students are eligible to apply, with admission based upon a review of the application and interview.

Applicants are screened on the basis of their commitment to the goals of the program, community service, and interest in serving the underserved populations of the inland regions and California as a whole.

Mini Medical School

The Mini Medical School (MMS) at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine is a student-run community-driven pipeline program founded in 2012. Run by passionate students, this health education process serves the residents of Inland Southern California by providing professionally approved medical- and health-related information to those in community settings in order to help bridge health disparities.

Premedical Postbaccalaureate Program

The Premedical Postbaccalaureate Program assists educationally and/or socio-economically disadvantaged applicants in gaining acceptance to medical school towards the goal of increasing the number of physicians who practice in underserved areas.

A small cohort of students is admitted each year. The program is open to individuals who have completed or will complete their undergraduate degree before the summer program begins. Generally, the program enrolls six to eight students. The postbaccalaureate is open to both first-time and re-applicants to medical school.